Sarah Palin, On Quitting

The Politician Formerly Known as Sarah Barracuda says if she dies politically, no biggie.

"If I die, I die. So be it," outgoing Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin said in an interview broadcast this morning on ABC's "Good Morning America," which you can read about it in its entirety, and watch video, here.

Palin said she was surprised by the media frenzy over her stunning announcement last week that she's quitting as governor and possibly - likely, as we see it - throwing away her presidential aspirations. She never imagined it would be "such a darn big deal."

"I said before ... 'You know, politically speaking, if I die, I die. So be it,'" Palin said.

Other choice quotes from the ABC interview:

- "Don't know what the future holds. I'm not gonna shut any door. That -- who knows what doors open. I can't predict what the next fish run's gonna look like down on the Nushagak [River]. So I certainly can't predict what's gonna happen in the next couple of years."

- "I don't need a title to be the one to usher in what it is that needs to be done in our state or our country."

- "You know conditions have really changed in Alaska in the political arena since Aug. 29, since I was tapped to run for VP. When that opposition research -- those researchers really bombarded Alaska -- started digging for dirt and have not let up. They're not gonna find any dirt. We keep proving that every time we win an ethics violation lawsuit and we've won every one of them. But it has been costing our state millions of dollars. It's cost Todd and me. You know the adversaries would love to see us put on the path of personal bankruptcy so that we can't afford to run."

- "I think on a national level, your department of law there in the White House would look at some of the things that we've been charged with and automatically throw them out."

Wow! Can she say ANYTHING coherent? Every time she opens her mouth its like a tossed word salad. Does anyone actually think that she won't die politically? I guess her followers still believe in her...for whatever reason.

Speaking of lawsuits, wait for her to start throwing frivolous defamation suits around at the "liberal" press and watch THEM get thrown out.

Here are some numbers: $147 and $3269, which explain why Sarah Palin's political career and her popularity peaked in late summer and early autumn of 2008. Oil prices hit $147 a barrel in July just as McCain was urged to take the very popular governor of Alaska as his VP. $3269 is the distribution made to every Alaskan in October 2008 as Palin politicked across the land and basked in her high approval numbers in Alaska.
This represented the regular share of the Alaska Permanent Fund plus a $1200 special distribution that reflected the surging price of oil. Why wouldn't Palin be popular in her home state? True, the distributions were established and monitored by the legislature but all aspects of Alaska's government were rolling in revenue from the energy industry.
All that has changed, and times are getting tougher in Alaska, and Palin's popularity has taken a beating outside her core of devoted supporters. Her ability to work with the legislature, both Republicans and Democrats, died not just after her divisive national campaign but also is dying as revenues vanish. Palin knows that the next 18 months won't be anything like what she enjoyed in her ascendancy. To govern under these new circumstances would not be one victory lap after another. Whether there are more ethical challenges ready to emerge for Palin, her abrupt resignation and incoherent justifications mask the simple fact that the job was not going to be any fun anymore. It might involve real work.

Seriously, I'm becoming concerned for Sarah Palin's own sake by some of her recent erratic and/or overreacting victimology behaviors and public pronouncements, most recently "You know, politically speaking, if I die, I die. So be it." She's starting to sound like an ill person in need of psychiatric attention, or at least an intervention by her nearest and dearest to get her to a doctor for evaluation. Do you know if anyone is doing anything to get her help she may need nowadays?

Yup, her defense is that "they" are just picking on her, and if they don't stop then they're just wasting state resources. I'm sure the state trooper whose firing she demanded didn't find his job loss a minor thing (who among us would?). Palin's approach is pretty much that something must be what she says it is just BECAUSE she says it is.

Don't you also recall when she told a schoolchild last fall how the VP's job included shepherding legislation through the Senate? (What, she didn't read the Constitution in JHS, HS or college Civics class?). In her mind, everything is what she says it is. Perhaps Palin would be happier reigning as Queen of America.

Republicans really need to examine their allegiance to honesty and the truth. If a soldier quits his command during service, he can be court marshalled and discharged for dereliction of duty. However, a person elected executive of a state by its citizens quits because of increasing attention - a lot unfair, and some self inflicted - and her poll numbers go up? Whatever happened to cutting and running? Where's the patriotism, integrity and honesty?

Gosh darn it, she's just soooo cute when she screws up what the name of the Department of Justice is, where it is, and what it does! What possible harm could possibly come of having Caribou Barbie as the leader of the free world? The worst economic crisis since the Great Depression? Hey, Shrub the Younger did that already. Katrina? Iraq? If you liked the results of 8 years of Shrub, you will love 4 years of a ultra-conservative Republican of even less intelligence and education.

THIS LADY HAS FINALLY REALIZED SHE DOES NOT HAVE THE INTELLIGENCE TO ACTUALLY BECOME A 'SPOKESPERSON' FOR AMERICA. JUST READ THE WORDS AND IT'S OBVIOUS HER I.Q. MAY BE UNDER THE BUSHES. THE REPULICANS ARE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE BARREL, AND THAT'S WHERE THEY FOUND HER. AT LEAST NOW, SHE REALIZES HOW DIFFICULT IT IS TO BE IN THE PUBLICS EYE. I FEEL BAD FOR HER. THE REPUBS LED HE DOWN A CROOKED PATH, MAKING HER BELIEVE HERSELF.

Whew! One Senator and two Governors out of the way---meet your next Republican Presidental front-runner - "and the winner is, Haley Barbour!"
Now watch the powerful Southern neocon powerhouse develop to push Barbour straight to the Presidential 2012 Primaries unapposed. Watch this guy roll!
A good pick for his VP would be Mitch Daniels.